


Impart your Wisdom

by LetoaSai



Series: Secrets [8]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brothers, Father and Son, Healing, M/M, Past Events, Sequel, feeling inferior, learning to be brothers, past pregnancy, real talks, troubled minds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24854365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: With things relatively quiet for now, there are still other secrets that need to come out and new family relationships that need to be worked out. Sora was ready to be a brother, but Squall was a little unprepared to open up old wounds.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Secrets [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593604
Comments: 26
Kudos: 110





	Impart your Wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts 
> 
> Sequel to Secrets Kept

Squall heaved a sigh, feeling like he hadn’t had a moment to catch his breath. It was only a few days ago he’d been more Leon than Squall. 

Cloud had been just his friend and Sora was just a boy he was relatively fond of. It only took days for everything to change. Naminé had fixed his altered memories and he was up to five teenaged children in a blink. 

The manikins were once again back where they belonged and the damn clown was in a book. It was such a jumble of events that Squall just wanted to sleep. Sleep however could wait now that he could continue his duties for the Restoration Committee.

Though even he admitted the blueprints in front of him for a new school had taken a backseat to watching Cloud from the window where he sat outside with Xion. His husband gazed at Xion with soft eyes and he knew he wasn’t any better. 

They’d missed out on their children being little and those were regrets that just couldn’t be fixed. Vanitas, Xion, and Roxas were all born teenagers, and Squall had learned to detest the word clone in the last several days. They were far more than clones. 

Xion also seemed to be just as pleased. He was still learning about it, but he gathered her first year alive wasn’t particularly happy. She seemed to love soaking up her father's attention. 

“Admiring?” 

Squall glanced up at his father who looked far too amused. Laguna had planned to stay at least another two weeks before returning home but the visits would no doubt be frequent. 

“How can i not?” Squall shrugged, not bothering to deny where his gaze lingered. 

“It’s impossible not to.” Laguna dropped into a seat beside him. “It’s the same way i felt about seeing Sora walk into my office the other day. Perfect but bittersweet.” 

“Yes.” Squall muttered. “I always thought Ventus was some kind of miracle. Some one in a million fluke we’d been allowed.” 

Laguna hummed. “He’s still that.” 

“He is. Forgetting was awful.” Something about the way Xion’s eyes shined was just like Cloud’s without the mako. There was no denying their soft resemblance. “At least i can go forward from here.” 

They could make new memories, there was still time. Maybe he had a few plans of his own.

“Judging by the fact that all of your children are still hovering around Radiant Garden for the time being, i’d say they agree.” Laguna mused, picking up the school blueprints out of curiosity. “Having family is nice.” 

“It is, and who knows, at some point i might be able to talk Cloud into another one.” He wanted it. Badly. He’d only seen Ventus grow until he was five. He’d missed Sora growing up completely. He wanted a do over. 

Laguna inhaled slowly and nodded once, glancing up at Cloud and Xion before dropping the blueprints and nudging Squall’s arm. “Come with me a moment.” 

He stood up, tugging on Squall’s sleeve once in a quiet demand for him to move. 

“What?” 

“Come with me.” Laguna repeated and slipped from the room, walking down the hall to his magically placed room in Merlin’s house. 

Squall just followed, wondering what was wrong with his father now. It was strange behavior even for him. 

“Dad, what?” 

Laguna shut the door to his room quietly and sighed. “Sorry. I never know how good Cloud’s hearing is and i wanted to talk to you about something important. Nothing life altering but you should be aware all the same.” He hadn't known how to bring this up before but here they were...

Squall dropped down into a chair by the window and gestured for him to continue. “Okay, well, about what? Why didn’t you want Cloud to hear?” 

“It's about Cloud’s pregnancy with Sora.” Laguna said, sitting on the edge of his bed. “If you and Cloud go for another baby, i think that’s fantastic, but there are some things you should know in case Cloud has any kind of relapse.” 

Squall frowned hard at the word. He didn’t like what was being implied. Didn’t like the word. “Okay?” 

Laguna looked altogether too serious. It really wasn't like his father at all. “He was pregnant with Sora for a long time, Squall. Years.” 

“Right. He told me that.” Squall said slowly. Cosmos had put a hiatus on the pregnancy. 

“Yes, but how do you think that affected him over time?” Laguna asked softly. “By the time the war was over and the pregnancy was allowed to resume he was almost manic. He was reckless. He didn’t cope well with knowing there was a fetus inside of him for so long.” 

Squall grunted, he doubted anyone would handle that well. “So it… was a hard labor.” 

“It was a hard everything, Squall.” Laguna said. “Cosmos kept a close eye on him on days when his depression just seemed to get worse. Often, he just didn’t want to be pregnant. He wanted you and Ventu and nothing else mattered.” 

Laguna sighed and had obviously been carrying the memories around with him. “It was a struggle to get him to eat at times. To get him to think about the baby at all. He spent most of his pregnancy extremely unstable and a few times Cosmos was forced to put him to sleep for a day or two at a time.” 

Squall felt the blood leaving his face. “It really got that bad?” Cloud didn't exactly enjoy being pregnant with Ventus but he'd taken it in stride. It seems that wasn't the case the second time around.

“It did…” Laguna said, straight faced. No jokes, no sugar coating it. “He didn’t even react when his contractions started. He didn’t react when his water broke. He was almost in denial it was happening at all until the pain started.” 

Cloud hadn’t mentioned anything like that. 

“He didn’t want to be in labor. He didn’t want me there at all but i stayed anyway. We had to move him and keep him in place. He wouldn’t even push for most of it. Postpartum depression had affected him badly before Sora was even born. At best, he was apathetic towards the entire thing. We worried he simply wouldn't want his own baby.” 

“Doesn’t sound like him…” Squall’s voice was soft. It wasn’t like he was calling his father a liar but it was hard to picture. Well...almost hard to picture. Cloud had loved Ventus so very much from the start.

Laguna shook his head. “He was so distraught about you and Ven that he just didn’t have it in him to care about anything else. It was heartbreaking. His body was just giving out on him. All the stress put him in a bad place. The labor itself took hours.” 

“And after?” Obviously it had worked out but when?

“The first few hours were rough. Cloud could barely move and I just kept putting Sora in front of him, making him look at him. Making him talk about him. Once it finally clicked that he’d given birth his attitude changed but not exactly for the better.”

Squall frowned still.”How?” 

“It was like…” Laguna almost seemed to struggle for the right words. “It was like he understood that Sora was your baby so he had to be protected and taken care of. It was for you, not for Sora. It took three or four days before it really occurred to him what baby he was holding. He was a mess. He was so distraught and terrified that he could have killed his own unborn baby.” 

Squall reached up to rub his eyes. It wasn’t fair. Enough things had messed with Cloud’s head. He didn’t need to go through all that alone. 

“Just…” Squall muttered. What could he say? “Thank you for being there for him.” 

“Of course i was.” Laguna managed a smile. He didn't reach out to touch Squall for which he grateful. He couldn't handle that just yet. “That was my son-in-law and my grandson. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I know i’m not painting a pretty picture here, and i’m not trying to. It was awful, but Cloud picked himself up. He was determined to give Sora all the love in the world and keep him safe. After a few days i was able to trust that the feelings were real and not just something you would have wanted. It was a little late, but he bonded with Sora just fine once he was able to focus on him.” 

Squall breathed out a sigh. “So you’re thinking more children might be off the table?” 

“Dunno.” Laguna shrugged. “It has been nearly two decades. How old is Sora? Sixteen? Won’t be long before he’s seventeen? There’s been a lot of time to heal. Who knows how different things would have been for him under different circumstances. Just you being here will make all the difference.” 

“Right…” He had to be a better husband. He had to be there for Cloud. 

“I just want you to be prepared. In case he does get pregnant again and his reactions aren’t what you expected. He could be perfectly fine but i’d rather you know in case he gets disoriented again.” 

“No, you’re right.” Squall muttered. “I needed to know this. He hasn’t talked about it at all.” 

Laguna shrugged. “He might not remember it all that clearly. He was in a confused state off and on. We made sure he was stable before parting ways.”

“Thanks.” Squall muttered again, sure he’d have to approach the subject carefully. He wasn’t even sure if Cloud wanted more kids. They were up to five now after all and being pregnant was no picnic for him. 

“There were some good parts too.” Laguna managed a smile. “He called me dad.” 

Squall cracked a smile, that would be something he liked. “Was he delirious at the time?” 

“Maybe a little. Doesn’t change anything.” Laguna grinned. "He called me dad!”

“Alright dad, congratulations.” Squall laughed a little. “I’m happy before you.” Things were still changing and so new. He and Cloud needed a moment to themselves to talk about things. 

“Thank you, and you know, if you two do have another baby you could call and let me know.” He wanted to be a part of their family too. 

Squall huffed fondly. Laguna was a fool, but Squall really wouldn’t have his dad any other way. “Sure dad. Promise. We’ll let you know.” 

“Before they’re born, Squall.” 

His smile grew. “Before their born.” he promised. Maybe it would be longer then he wanted, but Cloud’s safety...and sanity came first. There would be time for more babies. 

~

Sora wandered around Radiant Garden with a soft smile stuck on his face. He waved to the people he knew (and didn't know) and was happy to tell anyone ‘good afternoon’. He was feeling… good. 

His dad remembered him. His siblings knew about him. Riku finally admitted to being in love with him. Cloud was back in his life and for at least a little while, everything was calm. 

It was rare for him to roam somewhere by himself but he’d been doing it more and more that last few weeks. Well, mostly. 

With Donald and Goofy back in the Disney Kingdom he didn’t have those constant companions. He’d been hanging out with Vanitas lately, and Riku even more recently. That thought in mind, he was still alone now more than ever. Donald and Goofy really had been more like temporary guardians than he’d realized at the time. 

Wandering around on his own was nice sometimes. Short bursts of traveling alone in between traveling with a friend was nice. He also wasn’t so afraid of being alone with his thoughts anymore. He had Riku, who didn’t treat him any different and his family was being puzzle pieced back together. 

It was what he always wanted and he wasn’t going to ruin it by being sour. Radiant Garden was so beautiful and taking a walk to explore the city wasn’t going to put him in a bad mood. It seemed liked every time he arrived there was more. More streets, more houses, more people. It grew and grew and every person he came across was excited to meet him because he was a member of the Restoration Committee and he was there, not only building for them on occasion, but protecting them from.. Well.. clown most recently. 

It was nice being a place that was so friendly. I was like being home on Destiny Island. 

Sora turned a sharp corner and was almost instantly hit with wind he knew wasn’t normal. It had magic written all over. His clothes fluttered and his hair stood up a little more than usual and then Ventus was beside him, laughing happily. 

“Oh is this how we’re saying hello now?” Sora laughed too, brushing Ventus’ magic away. 

“Maybe, who knows?” Ventus said. “We aren’t exactly traditional, are we?” 

That was an understatement that had Sora shaking his head. “We’re a lot of things but not that. I didn’t realize you were hanging around.” 

“Well, how could i not?” Ventus said. After everything that had happened, they all seemed to be lingering “Where are you headed?” 

“I’m not really.” Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Just wandering around a bit. It’s nice here.” 

Ventus nodded. “You mind if i tag along?” 

Sora snorted. “I was just thinking about company. Sounds good to me. Have you gotten to see much?” 

“Well, i was here once before i went to sleep but there have been so many changes now so familiarizing myself with it is a good idea.” Ventus mused, nearly mirroring Sora’s stance.

“C’mon then. I’ll how you all the shortcuts i know.” Sora beamed, picking a random direction to start with. It’s not like he was an expert on the city but he knew a bunch of good spots to share. 

Some spots were a given, the Bailey..the Crystal Fissure, but there were other little spots too. Where he’d meet Cloud and where he liked to sit for the best view. 

“I wanted…” Ventus began after a while. “To talk to you. I mean…” He sighed. “I’m just, sorry.” 

“Sorry?” Sora asked, almost getting whiplash from the change in subjects. They’d just been laughing a few minutes ago. “What are you sorry for.” 

Ventus gave him a weak smile. “Not a very good big brother, am i?” 

“What are you talking about?” Sora smiled, bumping their shoulders together. “You only just found out.” 

“Exactly. I’m sorry you carried it around with you for so long. It was awful not knowing, but…” Ventus shrugged a little. “The more i think about it, knowing could have been just a hard. To know dad was your dad when he didn’t. To know i was your brother and had no clue…” 

Sora nodded once. “I wanted to tell you, you know? Just, how?” 

“No, i understand.” Ventus said quickly. “Don’t feel bad about that. I’m not sure i would have known what to do if you’d just told me out of the blue.” 

It might have felt odd, or maybe he wouldn’t have believed him. It would have been so easy to believe Sora was just being nice. To think Sora only missed the hole in his heart from where Ventus had been.

“Yeah. It just never felt like the right time.” Sora said. “But hey, it’s like you tried to come home didn’t you?” 

“What?” 

“When you went to sleep, you found me. Who else could have kept you in their hearts like i did? I wanted to meet my big brother back then and i guess i sorta did.” 

Ventus cracked a smile. “Yeah. Twice. You saved me when Vanitas and i were split apart. You probably saved both of us then. I guess just made sense to seek you out when i got hurt again though I don’t remember it.” 

“You came home.” Sora again firmly. “Shame i didn’t know either though. I’d have told papa. Might have eased his stress a little. Focused his search a little or something.” 

“Yes.” Ventus breathed out. “It’s still a little hard to get over. The idea that someone was looking for me. I mean, i’d hoped a little but to know…”

“It’s a big deal.” Sora finished. “Had i not been so little i think papa would have looked more than he did.”

“Yeah. It’s...a bit exciting for me. I want to get to know them both. I’m just not sure how to go about it just yet. It was so easy for Xion to march right up to them and ask to get to know them and do things but i’m feeling a little overwhelmed.” 

Sora hummed. “Yeah, you and Vani both.” They’d circled around several streets and made his way back to the Bailey. 

“Right. Vanitas.” Ventus hummed. “It’s early days there too but i think he and i will be okay.” 

“Yeah?” Sora grinned. “Really?” 

Some moments it was strange how he got along so easily with both of them when the twin pair had been at odds for so long. Vanitas was likely somewhere getting into trouble, or sparring with Roxas. 

Roxas was the one playing aloof at the whole family thing. 

“Yeah. He’ll at least sit there while i talk about nothing.” 

“Oh he listens.” Sora chuckled. “I just think after dealing with Xehanort so much he has to relearn to be social.” He doubted Xehanort had any decent kind of chats. 

Ventus gave a weak nod. “Sounds about right. I’m hoping that it’ll give him a door, should he ever want to talk too. He'll have an opening.” 

“Has to work eventually.” Sora smiled, and he wanted so badly to believe it. It had to mean something that he stuck around. “He’s got both of us in him. There’s gotta be a chatterbox somewhere.” 

Ventus actually laughed and they took a seat in the grass, giving up on touring when they were too busy talking now to explore. 

“Just give me a chance.” Ventus said after a moment. “And i’ll work out being a good brother.” 

“You’re already a good brother, Ven. Just because i knew about it before you did doesn't make you a bad brother.” 

That seemed to be the thing he was going to struggle with a while longer. For weeks now, Sora had been acting like the big brother for all of them. Even when he’d been the one that needed looking after. 

“We’ll find our new normal, Ven.” Sora promised. He was doing it again. Being reasonable and optimistic when he had no more idea what would happen next than anyone else.

“Maybe.” Ventus said, laying back in the grass. “Tell me things. Things you’re brother should know. How you grew up or something.” 

Sora flopped down beside him and stared at at the sky. “You’ve been in my heart Ven. Can’t get much closer than that.” 

Ventus managed a smile. “Tell me things anyway.” 

“Okay well, maybe i’ll drag you to Destiny Island.” Sora shrugged. “No place better than the source. You can meet Tara.” 

As far as Sora was concerned, the hard part was over. They were all together and aware of each other. Working out the kinks of new relationships would take time. They had time. Spending afternoons with his siblings was just the start. There would be time to explore their secrets later.

**Author's Note:**

> Series Order 
> 
> Gifts  
> A Home that Heals  
> Tourney  
>  **Secrets Kept**  
>  Design Time. (set during chapter 5 of Secrets Kept)  
> Impart your Wisdom  
> Look to the Rain (Flashback scenes set about 8 years prior)  
> Misfits


End file.
